In The Still Of The Night
by Drea Jackman
Summary: When Alec experiences the violence of seizures for the first time, it’s up to Max to provide the strength and support needed to help him make it through the night, only to face the nightmare dawn brings. NEW! Chapter 6 (ff.net says 4, there ARE 6, hones
1. Crash

TITLE: In The Still Of The Night   
WRITTEN BY: Drea Jackman  
EMAIL: X5-117@GeneticallyEngineered.co.uk  
WEBSITE: Of Dreams & Reality - http://DreaJackman.cjb.net/  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: When Alec experiences the violence of seizures for the first time, it's up to Max to  
provide the strength and support needed to help him get through the night.  
DISCLAIMER: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron and Charles Eglee  
(Cameron Eglee Productions) and Dark Angel itself belongs to FOX...it's just not fair is it? *Sob*  
ARCHIVE: If I've said yes before I'll say it again, otherwise email me 'n' lemme know.  
FEEDBACK: Don't make me beg, please? ...D'OH!  
  
A/N: Again not in a very good place to finish off Thicker Than Water, but I swear the last  
chapter's half way finished. I just wanna do a good job and I've gone through a lil phase of not  
really knowing how to carry it on to the full potential of the story…and since it's an Alec  
revelation fic, I don't wanna muck it up. So, here's another little story that just popped into my  
head last night…while I felt like simple Alec angst.   
Oh and I'm ignoring the 'fix' Manticore performed on it's X5's after the escape. Don't hit me :)  
  
  
In The Still Of The Night  
  
  
"There is such a thing as being a graceful winner."  
  
Alec only shrugged and let his ever characteristic smirk creep over his features.  
  
"Where'd the fun be in that?" he asked flashing her a smile that told Max it was going to be  
another evening of typically argumentative banter.  
  
Max didn't reply verbally, only sighed and shoved the pool cue she'd been holding into Alec's  
chest, her fist making light contact.   
  
"Someone's being a sore loser," Alec joked as he caught the cue shoved in his direction.  
  
"Am not!" Max retorted and immediately regreted falling victim to his bated trap. Her tone  
slipped, telling Alec the opposite of her statement was true.  
  
Sighing himself with satisfaction, Alec laid both pool cues down across the table and held out a  
hand expectantly. His features slipped into those reminicent of something close to child-like and  
innocent.   
  
"Whatever, just pay up."  
  
"Aren't you gonna give me a chance to win my money back?"  
  
"Never usually a sound idea if you wanna make money, but I suppose I could."  
  
Max smiled up at him, obviously pleased and Alec stepped closer, a knowing smirk reflecting  
hers as he looked down at her.  
  
Since some of the shadows haunting him had seen the light of day, Alec genuinely felt better  
about his life. Max was cutting him slack while managing to keep up the facaude of not actually  
doing so and in general they were getting along. Joshua's words had realy struck a chord in  
her, so much so that in the course of a few months she'd really seen a change in him. She'd  
finally began to get to know the man she'd once had pinned down as nothing but a smart-ass  
screw-up. They were friends…friends who occassionally argued themselves hoarse, but friends  
all the same. They'd both realised how alike they could be even if they'd argue strenuously to  
the contrary.  
  
"Not that you could beat me," he added, his eyes locked with hers as he watched her mock  
temper flare at his taunts.  
  
"Don't bet on it smart-ass," Max fired back as she slapped the twenty into his waiting hand.   
"Your round."  
  
"Yeah, yeah."  
  
As Alec headed off towards the bar, Max turned back to their table and sat down. Lately it felt  
like every night out happened to just stick them together. Sketchy had a new girlfried, Original  
Cindy had her latest hotgirl, Logan was busy playing Eyes Only's chief of operations to Asha's  
latest S1W drama and Max? Well, Max had Alec.  
  
It wasn't the first time Max had, had the odd thought of exactly where the limitations of their  
relationship lay. She didn't just wake up one morning and want Alec instead of Logan. It had  
been a gradual process, not being completely hooked up on Logan that was; the part about Alec  
she still wasn't entirely sure of. She'd only just realised who he was. Possible feelings  
developing beyond that were too far over the horizon for her to comprehend; nothing but a  
complication.  
  
Suddenly Max snapped out of her reverie as a fresh pitcher of beer slammed down on the table  
before her. Without even looking up she sighed and shook her head.   
  
"Y'know if you're gonna sneak up on people like that, you should be ready for…"  
  
"Max," Alec's voice cut her off, his tone betraying nothing teasing or playful.  
  
Max was about to fire back another round when her eyes caught sight of the pitcher on the table.   
The liquid inside was unsettled, it's motion showing no sight of growing still. It just looked weird  
and out of place. Next her eyes travelled to where Alec's hand still grasped at the handle; it was  
trembling. Her attention immediately shot upward as she sought out his familiar face.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
Alec didn't respond, his expression confused as he concentrated on trying to fathom exactly  
what it was that was going on inside. His attention finally fixed on her as his eyes locked with  
hers, his brow knotted in confusion. His body shook as a few more tremors passed through him  
on a wave; one he found only seconds later, had preceeded a stronger, more violent force.   
Finally the tremors grew surprisingly strong and Alec inhaled sharply as his legs gave way  
beneath him.  
  
"Alec!" Max exclaimed as she tried to catch him. Her attempt was in vain as his body sank to  
the floor; the beer pitcher crashing to the solid surface and shattering into pieces nearby. The  
music in Crash kept pumping on regardless, most people nearby too caught up in their own  
action to notice the apparently drunken behaviour of some stranger.  
  
"Alec what's wrong?" she asked, slipping from her chair and falling to her knees by his side. His  
body shook as muscles spasmed in uncontrollable bursts. All Alec knew was that the  
experience was new, painful and completely unwanted.  
  
"Don't know," he gasped.  
  
Max began to help him sit up as the violence of the tremors died down a little more in the  
moments that followed his initial collapse. Alec finally sat, back propped up by Max as she held  
him steady, feeling the waves still pulsing through him. Given her experience and the fact that  
he was an X5, she could only come to one reasonable conclusion.   
  
"You've never had a seizure before?" she asked a little quieter, her lips a hair's breadth from his  
right ear.  
  
Alec only shook his head, his eyes closed as he drew in shallow breaths in an attempt to regain  
control of what was happening to him. Max didn't entirely understand how he appeared to have  
been unaware of seizures or why he was suddenly experiencing them now, but she did  
understand how it felt to go through them. How unsettling the experience always was and how  
vulnerable it made her feel.   
  
Max really felt for Alec and knew that the floor of Crash was no place to have to experience  
something so frightening. She didn't have her jacket, she'd left it at Alec's when she'd swung by  
earlier to pick him up. Her tryptophan was in the inside pocket, all safely tucked away should  
she ever need it. But now she didn't have it and Alec was in desperate need of her help.  
  
"C'mon," she said using her Manticore-given strength to support his efforts as he stood up. "I'll  
take you home."  
  
Alec nodded and leaned on her small, but at that moment, much stronger frame for support as  
his face grew grim with intence concentration. Coordinating the walk out of Crash wasn't easy,  
but with help and a few comments about her 'drunken' friend, he made it to Max's motorcycle.   
He was only too happy when he felt the engine rev up beneath him as he gripped around her  
waist tightly.   
  
Laying his head down to rest against her back, Alec closed his eyes to the pain travelling in  
waves and vibrating through his body as Max sped them off on to the darkened Seattle streets. 


	2. Right Here With You

TITLE: In The Still Of The Night   
WRITTEN BY: Drea Jackman  
EMAIL: wtsw02889@Blueyonder.co.uk  
WEBSITE: Of Dreams & Reality - http://DreaJackman.cjb.net/  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: When Alec experiences the violence of seizures for the first time, it's up to Max to  
provide the strength and support needed to help him get through the night.  
DISCLAIMER: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron and Charles Eglee  
(Cameron Eglee Productions) and Dark Angel itself belongs to FOX...it's just not fair is it? *Sob*  
ARCHIVE: If I've said yes before I'll say it again, otherwise email me 'n' lemme know.  
FEEDBACK: Don't make me beg, please? ...D'OH!  
  
A/N: I'm on a roll, don't stop me now, lol. This story's coming at one chapter a day so far so I  
guess all that's left to be said for those of you who take the time to read A/N's is thanks. The  
number of times peeps ask for more chapters in reviews of other stories is only slightly annoying  
when you've already said something like '3rd of 5' or last chapter coming soon. There IS more  
after this, as much as I like the ending here I still SO wanna have a deep conversation....or  
rather I want Max and Alec to, lol. Yeah, that is what I mean. Hope you like this cause I didn't  
pause to check from start to finish, it just sorta appeared on the page in a mad fit of writing :)  
  
Oh and I'm ignoring the 'fix' Manticore performed on it's X5's after the escape. Don't hit me :)  
  
  
In The Still Of The Night  
  
  
Clearing the sector checkpoints on the way to Alec's wasn't an easy task. Most of the officers  
were only concerned about the condition of Max's companion, but with a few casual remarks the  
likes of 'can't hold his liquor', the pair made it through eventually.  
  
By the time they stood inside Alec's apartment, Alec could bearly stand. While Max searched  
his pockets for the keys to his new home, he stood slumped against the wall alongside. His  
body still trembled and shook, despite the enormous volume of effort he was putting into self  
control. He finally became aware of Max tugging on his arm and instinctively raised it, feeling  
her stronger frame slip underneath and close around his from the side as she pulled his weight  
to lean on her.  
  
"Let's get you inside," she almost whispered a she led him slowly inside.  
  
Again Alec didn't respond and Max only grew more concerned. If even he was quiet, no smart  
remark or typical comment for the situation, then it really must be bad. She decided that rest  
was a better idea because at least that way she'd have a chance to calm him.  
  
Taking him into the bedroom at the other side of the apartment, Max led Alec into the darkened  
room. Night vision kicked in and she was able to locate and switch on the bedside light. Setting  
him down on the bed, she stepped back to check him over. She watched as the inner struggle  
she was all to familiar with played across his facial features. The pain, confusion, concentration  
in vain attempts to regain control. If this was really his first, she could only wonder what exactly  
was going through his mind.  
  
Reaching out tentatively, Max touched his chin, lightly drawing his blind downward gaze up to  
face her. His eyes slowly opened and found her, not her eyes but some spot on her lower lip.   
Max could feel the tremors growing steadily beneath her touch and Alec's breathing became  
noticeably more laboured. As his body jerked against her, Max inhaled almost as sharply as he  
had and she sprang into action.  
  
"I'll be right back okay?"  
  
Her voice was soft, full of sympathy for his cause, but Alec bearly heard the words as his  
heartbeat pounded fiercely in his ears.  
  
Leaving him alone in his room, Max crossed the expanse of apartment considered the living  
room and found her jacket lying exactly where she'd tossed it down on the sofa earlier that  
evening. Within seconds she had retrieved the small bottle of pills from her inner pocket and  
was in the kitchen raiding Alec's fridge. Not willing to waste time, she took the carton of milk and  
headed straight back to the bedroom.  
  
Upon entering she heard a soft thump followed by Alec's rapid breathing and saw that the bed  
was empty.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
When her senses finally found him, milliseconds too long as far as she was concerned, he was  
slumped on the floor on the far side of the room. Making haste, Max went to him and knelt by his  
side, momentarily setting her goods aside.  
  
Alec lay on his side facing away from her, his large frame of six feet huddled, knees drawn up to  
his chest as close as he could manage. In the foetal position he was in, Max could see just how  
deeply the unsettling feeling was affecting him. The tremors were now in full force and  
hammering through his body at a painful rate. Despite how she knew he must have felt, Max  
had to force him to move. His life depended on it.  
  
"Alec, c'mon I need you to sit up," she pleaded, already beginning to turn him toward her.  
  
Alec's stance opened up as Max rolled him onto his back, her face coming into his line of sight  
finally. His troubled eyes immediately sought hers and locked with the comfort of her darkened  
depths, his posture reminiscent of Ben's final moments in her arms. The after thought unsettled  
her, but she managed to shake it off and focus on the man that needed her and not the ghost  
that had.  
  
"Max," he said, voice already beginning to break as his lower lip trembled slightly. He shivered  
in her arms again and his eyes searched hers for some sign of truth. "What's happening to me?"  
  
Max's heart wrenched in her chest as Alec's simple, yet desperate question resonated in her  
ears. His voice betrayed feelings she found reflected equally as strong in his eyes. He was  
afraid.  
  
"Don't worry," she offered, trying to sound as assured as he needed her to be at that moment.   
"We can deal with this."  
  
Attempting to help him sit up, she watched him struggle to slide around till his back was leaning  
against the bed behind them. It took more effort than Alec felt capable of providing and he  
gasped for breath as he continued to shake more and more. It was true, the almighty smart ass  
himself had been rendered silent and afraid, so what? This was a whole new experience almost  
specifically designed to sap his strength, cause him pain and make him feel vulnerable. What  
wasn't there to hate or fear in that? He didn't want any of it.  
  
"I can't," he protested in defeat.  
  
"Maybe not, but we can," Max corrected him.  
  
Against the forceful spasms in his muscles, Alec's eyes again found hers as once more he found  
himself in awe of her compassion. Protest over, he lowered his head in compliance.  
  
"Here," she said reaching for the tryptophan, "I need you to take these."  
  
Alec almost hungrily downed the pills Max handed him and guzzled at the carton of milk. The  
fluid seemed to revive his parched throat as he drank greedily, only stopping when more of the  
liquid began to trickle from his lips than managed to go down.  
  
Max watched as Alec's shivering became more and more violent. It'd take a while for the  
tryptophan to be absorbed from the sources he'd just ingested and until it kicked in, she could  
see there was definitely more to come and of a much worse nature. Casting her attention back  
towards the bed above, she looked back to Alec, who now sat before her, eyes closed tightly  
once again.   
  
Just like her, he'd left his jacket home that evening, the pair preferring a cool spring Seattle  
night's ride to being cooped up. She wore light clothing, jeans and a short-sleeved top while  
Alec wore similar; jeans and a blue, thin, long-sleeved top. For brief seconds she watched as  
his chest heaved beneath the thin material, every breath made with extra effort as even his  
reserves of genetically-given strength were slowly and achingly depleted.  
  
Quietly reaching down she drew first Alec's left leg out toward her, then his right, removing one  
by one the heavy boots he'd worn. Before shifting herself, she gently reached out and wiped  
away remnants of tryptophan-rich milk from where it had spilled from his lips. His skin felt hot  
even as his body instinctively shivered against her soft touch. Standing up she kicked her own  
shoes off and offered him her hand.  
  
Again Alec followed her guidance, trusting her directions implicitly as he sought comfort from the  
smallest of her actions. Collapsing onto the bed he faced away from Max, curling up into a  
loose, foetal position once more. His eyelids felt heavy and exhaustion was quickly creeping  
over his aching body. When he dimly felt the mattress beneath him dip down as it adjusted to  
Max's weight behind him, he was still a little surprised that someone was there for him at all.  
  
Unable to talk, to ask Max all the questions he found himself asking and express the immense  
thanks he felt at her presence, Alec just lay there feeling more helpless than he'd ever felt in his  
life. Weakness was a liability he'd been taught never to reveal to a soul and yet there he was, in  
all his glory; the great Manticore soldier, weak as a kitten and more scared than he'd ever been  
in his life.  
  
It wasn't just the seizure that made them afraid, Max understood that all too well. They were  
trained to always be in control of their situation and the experience seizures provided left them  
with nothing of the sort. They'd also been trained to avoid being weak, showing others fear and  
even though there was always the underlying ideal of 'never abandon your unit', there was  
always the unspoken understanding that they were built perfect, not expected to need anything  
or anyone.  
  
'Stay with me, please?' she thought.  
  
Max could remember the request she'd made of Logan the night her seizure had taken her there  
at the penthouse. Again it seemed appropriate and against all previous expectation of their  
situation, Max leaned over Alec's right ear as she whispered to him on a soft, comforting breath.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Alec felt a new wash of relief surge through him even as violent tremors shook him an caused  
him to convulse against the solid presence behind him. Opening his eyes briefly he registered  
that Max had turned out the light by the bed and then he allowed them to flutter closed again.   
The wave of comfort grew as he felt Max's smaller frame curl up behind him, her arm reaching  
around him as her body spooned against his. Arm resting firmly over his and holding his body  
to her protectively close with her hand splayed out over his chest, she settled down.   
  
In her new position, she assigned herself to a duty of comfort and support, feeling every inhaled  
breath and every trespassing quiver. Her body rocked with Alec's against the tremors and Max  
lay there, in the gentle still of the night, silently riding out the seizure with him. 


	3. Ghostly Reflections

TITLE: In the Still of the Night  
  
WRITTEN BY: Drea Jackman  
  
EMAIL: wtsw02889@Blueyonder.co.uk  
  
WEBSITE: Of Dreams & Reality - http://DreaJackman.cjb.net/  
  
RATING: PG  
  
SUMMARY: When Alec experiences the violence of seizures for the first time, it's up to Max to provide the strength and support needed to help him get through the night.  
  
DISCLAIMER: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron and Charles Eglee (Cameron Eglee Productions) and Dark Angel itself belongs to FOX...it's just not fair is it? *Sob*  
  
ARCHIVE: If I've said yes before I'll say it again, otherwise email me 'n' lemme know.  
  
FEEDBACK: Don't make me beg, please? ...D'OH!  
  
A/N: Posting this up a little later than I'd planned to, but at least it's up for this weekend. I'm almost finished with chapter four so no more reviews solely to cry "Write more!" There WILL be more, but for those peeps that leave those comments, I suggest you take up reading these Author's Notes ( It's all good right? Late…  
  
  
  
1 In The Still Of The Night  
  
Max lay there for what felt like hours. The only time she moved was to tighten her hold of Alec as his body grew particularly restless. She'd found that it had taken an entire hour for the tryptophan to show any physical signs of taking effect. In that hour she'd felt tremors stronger than any she'd experienced before, wrack his body. Slowly, over time, possibly hours more, she'd felt his body begin to shake less and less in her arms.  
  
Now everything was dark and silent. Alec was still beside her, only trembling now and then, but at least he was at some level of peace. In the time that passed, Max found herself thinking over everything in her life. How lucky she really had been in comparrison to the life she was slowly finding out Alec had lived.  
  
She really couldn't imagine what was going through his mind when forced to deal with seizures that had just always been a part of her life. Sure they sucked, but she'd grown up facing them. It was easy for her to forget how that must have felt to a twenty year old suffering them for the first time; she could only remember through a child's eyes.  
  
Eventually Max's curiosity got the better of her. She knew the seizure was as good as over; Alec only trembled slightly and at irregular intervals now. She just wanted to check him over; make sure he was really okay. Slowly she slipped her arm over his as she shifted against him on the bed and sat up. Her hand settled on his shoulder as the dull glow of the city lights outside the window cast their illumination across Alec's now sleeping form.  
  
Max was taken aback. She'd never dreamed he could have looked so innocent. His hair lay in disarray, some of the lighter strands around the front pressed flat against his forehead. After a few moments deliberation, she let the hand that had been resting on his shoulder venture forward and her fingertips made light contact, brushing the soft strands back and feeling the warm glow of his skin brush the backs of her fingers. Acting purely on instinct she found herself letting the backs of her fingers trail further down, slowly making a gentle sweep over his cheek.  
  
Motion stopped immediately as she processed the new sensation. When she looked closer she could still see the wet trails that originated under his dark lashes and crossed his smooth flesh. Withdrawing her hand she also felt the pillow beneath damp to the touch.  
  
Part of it didn't surprise her for seizures had brought her to tears many times, but once again it was the fact that it was Alec that made her vision become blurred and the lump arise in her throat.  
  
Before Max was even aware of it, Alec's head turned to look up at her, eyes finding hers instinctively in the darkness for nightvision was a choice he refused. She felt the warmth spread across her cheek only to be brushed away as Alec's tentative touch swept over her cheek. His hand paused to caress for brief seconds before Max felt it tremble on another wave and sink back to it's comfortable resting place by his side.  
  
"I look that good huh?" he attempted a soft joke, but the humour was lost to them both.  
  
"Better," she replied trying to mirror his greeting.  
  
Alec attempted a characteristic smirk, but all that came across was a sheepish smile betraying sincere appreciation. Feeling the wave sweep through him again, he shivered and Max immediately tightened her grip on his arm as if not wanting him to forget she was right there with him. As it died down, he lifted his hand and watched the odd flicker of uncontrolled movement.  
  
"What happened to me?"  
  
"You really don't know?" Max asked, genuinely surprised he hadn't at least seen seizures of the like before.  
  
"No," he answered sounding defeated.  
  
"It was a seizure. When they made us perfect they forgot the part about imperfect, whacked-out brain chemistry."  
  
Alec lay beside her in silence, listening attentively and dreading the flickers of convulsion that still passed through his body and threatened to come back at full force anytime.  
  
"Basically it's a neurochemical imbalance. We can supplement tryptophan easily enough, but a lack of will lead to these seizures and eventually they can kill,"  
  
Max cringed at the bluntness in her choice of words, her look to Alec immediately apologetic.  
  
"You have to deal with these too?"  
  
"Me and every other X5 out there," she sighed and settled herself in a more comfortable position, curling her legs up to sit upright beside him as he lay on his back before her.  
  
"But I've never," his voice trailed off, taking moments to banish harsh reminders. "I've never felt that before."  
  
"That's the part I can't figure out, but with any luck it won't happen a lot in future eithe," she said looking him over to reassure herself that he was still okay.  
  
"How long?" he asked as if reading her mind.  
  
"Since I was a kid, we all did."  
  
"Even 493?"  
  
Max could see what he was looking for in his comparrison. While the family sense and sibling title was used when speaking of other X5's in her unit, Max really wasn't related to any of them. The only person who could make that claim honestly now was Alec. Ben or 493 had been his twin, genetically identical and at a price Max could only wonder. All sorts of tortuous tests after Ben had been killed, everything in the name of genetic research and determining whether Ben's murderous and unhinged tendencies had been born of a genetic error that'd be present in his brother.  
  
"Ben too," she finally answered, but her hesitation wasn't lost on Alec.  
  
"You cared about him huh?" His question was simple and direct.  
  
"Yeah, a lot," she replied looking down at him, for brief moments seeing Ben reflected in the physical appearance of the man before her.  
  
"Miss him?"  
  
"A little. It's funny, every time I have a seizure or even go to stock up on tryptophan I think of him. Back in the barracks, whenever a seizure hit bad he'd always be there. Used to make all the pain go away with some little shadows on the wall at night," she explained, her voice trailing off as she remembered more innocent times.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Alec's whispered apology caught her off guard. What did he have to say sorry for? None of it had been made real by his will or down to his hand, but Max could read it in the depths of his eyes.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Can't imagine it's easy seeing the face of someone you cared about and lost everyday."  
  
Max looked at him blankly, deep in thought for moments on end before she finally responded, choosing her words carefully so that they were completely deliberate.  
  
"I don't see the face of someone I lost everyday." All she knew she saw was someone she cared about.  
  
Alec seemed to understand and he smiled, or at least the attempt was there, halted only by the growing surge that caused his entire body to jerk hard repeatedly. Max quickly attempted to hold him steady and watched as his eyes finally tore away from hers to close on another tremor. Max reached over him to the nightstand and brought two more pills to his lips.  
  
Alec swallowed them and fought against his once again deteriorating condition. His once calm features slipped into contortion that failed to mask sheer anger. His fists closed in a tight clench and he punched the mattress beneath hard in frustration as his hands too began to shake.  
  
"Damn it!" he growled, breath hitching in his throat.  
  
Max reached out and caught him by the wrists, effectively halting his frustrated movements from growing worse. Easing them down by his sides she held his left wrist in her right hand, drawing it up across the quickening rise and fall of his chest.  
  
"Shhh," Max whispered on a soft breath that blew gently across his cheek.  
  
In that single understanding moment, Alec slowly shifted next to her as he rolled over to face away from her again, resuming the position that had let him share much of her strength and support earlier that evening.  
  
"Relax, Alec."  
  
Alec keenly attempted to do so as he felt Max's firm and steady body spoon to his weaker one. As her arms drew him closer still in a secure hug, Alec found himself experiencing the comfort and feeling of safety he always found her presence brought. 


	4. Still Of The Night

TTITLE: In The Still Of The Night   
WRITTEN BY: Drea Jackman  
EMAIL: DreaJackman@hotmail.com  
WEBSITE: Of Dreams & Reality - http://DreaJackman.cjb.net/  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: When Alec experiences the violence of seizures for the first time, it's up to Max to  
provide the strength and support needed to help him get through the night.  
DISCLAIMER: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron and Charles Eglee  
(Cameron Eglee Productions) and Dark Angel itself belongs to FOX...it's just not fair is it? *Sob*  
ARCHIVE: If I've said yes before I'll say it again, otherwise email me 'n' lemme know.  
FEEDBACK: Don't make me beg, please? ...D'OH!  
  
A/N: Well I have a huge apology to make. I hate it when I have to wait forever to get a new  
chapter of a story I've been reading and I always said I'd never let it happen to any readers of  
mine. I finally finished this after my muse took a lil holiday of it's own so this along with the 7 (no  
less and I'm NOT kidding!) fics I've started and not finished and posted online yet begin to see  
the light of day...err...the net. As always feedback is appreciated cause I dunno whether to let it  
finish here or keep going. Readers know best...let me know :)  
  
  
In The Still Of The Night  
  
  
The seizure had long since peaked and Max was unbelievably grateful that the second dose of  
tryptophan had taken effect much quicker than the original. Her head lay close on the pillow  
behind him, face buried in the crook where lean muscle connected shoulder to neck smoothly  
beneath the surface. His skin was warm, but not uncomfortably so. Max felt Alec shift slightly  
and she leaned back to give him a little more room to move. Her eyes came to settle on his  
barcode.  
  
Max almost smiled in spite of herself. Just how many times had she suggested covering it up, if  
only for his own safety? Not like he'd ever listened to her before anyway. Despite how she'd  
seen him change, he'd also stayed the same in many respects. She smiled a little more fondly  
as she noted that they were just about every respect she liked in him. In that instant, Max  
suddenly gained what felt like an outsider's perspective and found that being there with Alec,  
seizure aside, felt kind of right.  
  
As if answering her thoughts, Alec stirred in her arms. His hand opened, releasing the tight  
clench it had been in and he flexed his fingers. He felt her grip still present on his wrist and  
wriggled free. His fingers tentatively probed her hand in a soft, but testing gesture. Max was  
compliant and Alec's fingers continued their gentle exploration over the smooth contours of her  
palm before spreading to interlock her fingers with his.  
  
"Feeling better?" Max tested finally.  
  
Alec's eyes closed as a comfortable smile tugged on his lips. In that instant, he felt better than  
he had all night.  
  
"Little bit," he replied, voice a little dry in his whispered answer.  
  
Max felt herself grin inwardly as a satisfied smile settled on her lips. She squeezed his hand  
lightly in a reassuring response and the pair fell silent for a few moments more. Max continued  
to watch him, her eyes settled on the genetic pigment forming his barcode again.  
  
"Hey," Alec complained only half sincere as he jumped at the sudden and much unexpected  
sensation.   
  
Max laughed lightly to herself, knowing that blowing on the nape of his neck was definitely a little  
more playful than she'd intended to start out. Alec may have whined, but then there was the  
lighthearted edge that had been missing from much of his mood that evening.  
  
"Cut that out," he continued, losing none of his mock annoyance.  
  
Max could read him like a book. Just another one of the perks afforded by seeing Alec for the  
man he was at last.  
  
"Make me."  
  
Adding emphasis to the act, she blew deliberately on his neck again and stifled a laugh as he  
shivered. Slowly, Alec shifted in her arms, released her hand and turned to face her. They lay  
there facing each other for a while, eyes locked in the newfound peace of their company and in  
those few moments, both fell silent.  
  
"Y'know you really should make more of an effort to cover that thing up," Max began, but she  
sounded distracted.  
  
"Didn't know you cared so much," he tossed back a characteristic smart ass reply, but the words  
had no flare of meaning as he too seemed distracted.  
  
"Why do you always have an answer for everything?"  
  
"I don't."  
  
"You do!" she exclaimed and her hand thumped down lightly on his upper arm.  
  
Alec flinched and let an expression of genuine hurt take over his once calm facial features. Now  
he just looked convincingly upset.  
  
"Hey, that hurt!"  
  
"Baby."  
  
"Am not! I'm still a little tender," he whined and slipped back into the moody role he'd been in  
only seconds before.  
  
"Yeah, okay, " Max finally sighed.  
  
Alec didn't betray any of his usual tendencies when presented with the victory either. He just  
smiled and continued to read the mirrored expression coming across in the actions and  
expression of the woman before him.  
  
"About that," he began in an all-new tone of voice; one that was soft yet completely sincere. "I  
just wanted to uh,"  
  
Max didn't flinch at his search for the right words at all. Instead she listened instantly, her eyes  
never leaving his. Again she found herself shocked at how quickly their relationship had  
changed. The magnitude of the process itself was less surprising than the day she found herself  
in a typically heated arguement with him when it dawned on her. She didn't entirely hate it, in  
fact she rather enjoyed their arguments. That realisation had also let her take a look at why and  
as soon as she did that, she'd been able to look at Alec with much clearer vision.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Max knew that even though Alec had as much heart as anyone else she knew, he wasn't always  
comfortable sharing the sentiments that radiated from it. For that matter, sometimes the words  
really didn't come that easily. So, in true understanding fashion, Max decided to make it easier  
for him by letting the typical smart alec facaude come into their play.  
  
"For what? Poppin' you full of pills; ordering you around all night; cutting off your air supply by  
holding you too tight maybe?" she rhymed off with a smirk of her own.  
  
"Pretty much all of the above," he replied realising her attempt was to ease the process for him  
and let him take the opportunity to hide partially in humour. The one thought that brought him  
out of reluctance was the one that simply stated 'You could never hold me too tight, or too close,  
Max.' Alec had wasted time on that kind of reluctance to speak up before and now wasn't going  
to be the same. He didn't want to hide from her any longer. "And for just being here."  
  
Max let the expression of play and humour slip from her features as Alec's words hit home. It  
occurred to her that even though they'd grown closer, they'd still never shared something that  
deep either. In truth, the prospect scared them a little more than they'd liked. But, for some  
reason, Max didn't feel worried about it anymore. The utter sincerity emanating from both Alec's  
eyes and his words was enough to send the slightest inkling of fear running for the shadows of  
dim memory.  
  
"Anytime," Max replied equally as sincere.  
  
Again the pair were silent, the air around them empty and lacking in their casual banter. As  
much as they enjoyed it, it just didn't seem like the right time to play games. If Alec didn't want  
to discuss the seizure in detail just then, she'd understand safe in the knowledge that when he  
did, he'd come to her.  
  
"How did I ever end up so lucky?" Alec's quiet question surprised her when it finally broke the  
comfortable silence between them.  
  
"How do you mean?"  
  
"Just wondering how a screw-up like me could ever deserve anything like you in my life."  
  
The time for games was over and Alec was on the offensive with some things to share that had  
become far too heavy a weight on his chest. Perhaps now was the time to tell her how he felt;  
the way he thought about her, without having to bear it alone anymore.  
  
"You're not a screw-up, Alec," Max fired back almost intently. The term hit way too close to  
home with her old assumptions. "And you're certainly not blessed to have me in your life."  
  
"You're wrong."  
  
Alec's hand slid out without thought to brush some of the dark strands covering her cheek back  
behind her ear. His fingertips gently slid back down over her cheek and he looked at her  
thoughtfully. The pause for thought didn't go unnoticed, but Alec wanted to be sure he'd not  
mess up what he had to say.  
  
"Max, you're the one thing in my life that makes any kinda sense." The words tumbled out on an  
almost desperate breath, sounding very much like they were trying to convince her to see herself  
the way he could.  
  
Max took the compliment for what it was worth, and what it was worth was far more than anyone  
else could've imagined. She smiled slightly and nodded with a look of doubt as she shifted  
again on the bed. With a sigh she brought her left arm up so she could prop herself up on it.  
  
"Can't believe that considering I'm a 'human fog bank' and all," she aired lightly.  
  
"A what?" Alec asked, keenly intrigued by her words as he mirrored her motion to prop herself  
up, bringing him just over her level again.  
  
Max rolled her eyes and shook her head, further dismissing any pursuing conversation. "Story  
for another time."  
  
Alec's slight smile never wavered as he watched her, the way she lay beside him bringing her  
head level with his own again, despite his much larger frame.  
  
"So what's got you so confused?"  
  
"Nothing...everything," he admitted finally.  
  
"Wanna elaborate on that any?"  
  
A laugh actually slipped past Alec's lips on a light breath as he shook his head.  
  
"I don't know, everything's just so different now; complicated."  
  
"That part's my fault. Not really like I gave you any choice when I dumped you out on your ass."  
  
"I'm a smart ass, you're gonna kick my ass, you dumped me out on my ass...just what is this  
fixation with my ass all about?" he joked.  
  
"You know what I mean, don't pull more of this smart crap with me," she warned.  
  
"What crap? Just being me, what else do you want?"  
  
"How about the real you?"  
  
"This is the real me! What are you talkin' about?" His tone betrayed only the slightest hint of  
annoyance, only serving to further her point.  
  
"Look, I know how hard it is trying to figure everything out, especially right away. I'm still trying  
now and I'm not even sure I'll ever understand some things. I just...I know we fight and have this  
ability to wind each other up, but you know if you ever wanna talk,"  
  
"You'll be there to kick my ass?" Alec tried with his familiar, trademark smirk.  
  
"That too," Max returned, but after a few seconds her expression faded to utter sincerity.  
  
"I know," Alec finally replied, answering to give her the reassurance that he'd understood. She'd  
be there if he ever needed her, he got it. All he had to do now was work on realising when to  
ask for her help in future. "Like tonight right?"  
  
"Just like tonight."  
  
Both stared at each other for a few seconds in companionable silence before Alec finally averted  
his eyes and looked vaguely uncomfortable.  
  
"So what happens now?"  
  
Moments before, Max would have probably dreaded the question, but now that she and Alec  
were clear it felt better. "Now I won't be the only one I know with a steady supply of tryptophan.   
Seriously, you'll be fine. First thing tomorrow morning we'll go see Dr. Carr and let him check  
you over."  
  
Alec looked uneasy and his eyes found hers again. He took in a deep breath slowly before  
speaking.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
"Not that I'm keen to play this up or anything, but I kinda have this thing with the medically  
professional," he confessed and looked at her with a mix of embarrassment and shame.  
  
"Psy Obs?" Max asked knowing that Alec had never willingly gone into detail about exactly what  
had been inflicted on him for the six months he'd been confined to the Psychological  
Observation centre at the facility. God only knew what had been done to him there by doctors  
and who knew what else. It was no wonder they'd make him uneasy now.  
  
Alec nodded, but didn't make to expand any on the subject. Again it was something Max totally  
understood, but she also knew he'd have to talk about it sometime. It was the only healthy thing  
to do. At least she knew Alec could talk to her if he needed to. She could leave it and know  
he'd come to her if and when he had to.  
  
"It'll be fine. Sam Carr's a good friend of Logan's. He knows about us, just about inside out by  
now. You've got nothing to worry about."  
  
Alec still didn't look convinced and Max found his almost child-like 'I'm not buying it one bit' face  
incredibly cute.  
  
"Look, I'll even be there if it helps any," she said with all signs of light-hearted inclination missing  
in her words. There remained nothing but utter sincerity and an utter wish to dispel his  
uncertainty over the whole situation.  
  
To her surprise, Alec's expression changed almost immediately. Max found it touching that even  
the thought of her presence could reassure him enough to go through with the whole thing. His  
face had brightened into an expression of comfort and his characteristic little smirk even began  
to shine through slightly as Max did something completely unexpected.  
  
Offering a smile that echoed his comfort in the situation, her hand gently swept across Alec's  
forehead and her fingers entwined the strands of hair that once again had managed to fall flat  
there. Slowly she brushed them back thoughtfully before she let her hand drop down to a more  
comfortable position between them.  
  
Without words, Alec's eyes drifted closed and he found himself not only taken aback by Max's  
actions, but by the sudden urge he felt pushing him on to experience more of the utter safety and  
comfort her presence brought. Silently, he leaned in toward her, his action slight and testing her  
acceptance of his advance. When Max didn't back away and actually found herself mirroring his  
forward motion, all space between them vanished with a single, tentative kiss. 


	5. Slipping

TITLE: In The Still Of The Night  
  
WRITTEN BY: Drea Jackman  
  
EMAIL: DreaJackman@hotmail.com  
  
WEBSITE: Blue Genes - http://DreaJackman.cjb.net/  
  
RATING: R  
  
SUMMARY: When Alec experiences the violence of seizures for the first time, it's up to Max to provide the strength and support needed to help him get through the night.  
  
DISCLAIMER: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron and Charles Eglee (Cameron Eglee Productions) and Dark Angel itself belongs to FOX...it's just not fair is it? *Sob*  
  
ARCHIVE: If I've said yes before I'll say it again, otherwise email me 'n' lemme know.  
  
FEEDBACK: Don't make me beg, please? ...D'OH!  
  
A/N: I finally got enough space in life to pick up a multi-chaptered story again. Yay! Anyway, I was going to close this one down last chapter, but then I had an epiphany of sorts and decided I'm not done playing with this story yet. Hope you like it, as always, reviews help SO much so if you have something constructive to add, please review and hit me with it. Every little helps... Btw, did I mention much Alec angst? hehe  
  
  
  
In The Still Of The Night  
  
  
  
When Max felt the dimness of slumber recede and the sensations around her become real, the first instinct she had was to bury herself further into the warm embrace surrounding her. At that moment it wasn't confusing because it was Alec or a bitter reminder of feelings for Logan betrayed. There was no right or wrong, it just felt good and in its own way, that was good enough for her.  
  
The kiss they'd shared wasn't what it could have normally been perceived to be. Sure there may have been deeper feelings at its origin, but mostly it was an act of affirmation and support. Over the months they'd been thrown together more and more in, they'd grown closer to a very real, very natural evolution in their feelings toward each other. The pair were more alike than different and there was a whole lot more uniting rather than dividing them. Still, there would be time for that later.  
  
Max opened her eyes, vision immediately clear and focused. She leaned up off his chest from where her head had been resting peacefully in sleep. Alec lay on his back, left arm covering her right as she laid it protectively over his stomach, while his right reached around her and was laid out flat on the bed behind her. Max herself lay comfortably in the crook of his right arm.  
  
He looked so peaceful in sleep, features innocent and honest. Even though they'd been opening up to one another more in the past few weeks, sleep was still the only tool to successfully rid Alec of any mask he could try and hide behind. It was a natural defense he'd developed growing up, that much she'd learned.  
  
Max appreciated the fact that even though she rarely saw the face he possessed in a peaceful slumber mirrored consciously, he had always shown her more of himself than others ever saw. She looked forward to the day he'd be able to let the facaude slip away consciously with her and not be afraid on some distant level.  
  
Alec's skin was still warm to the touch, but Max supposed that was only due to the fact that he still had his clothes on and an extra body with an equally 'revved-up' basal body temperature curled up beside him. She gently slid a hand out from under his and swept the hair back from his forehead, testing as she went. To her surprise, he didn't stir.  
  
"Alec," she said softly, not wanting to startle him any.  
  
Nothing. Max frowned and tried again with no success. She gripped his shoulder firmly and shook him, but he didn't respond. His breathing was deep and calm, looking for all the world like he was pleasantly asleep. But he wouldn't wake up and that was enough for Max.  
  
"Alec!" She shook him again, this time a little more forcefully.  
  
"Alec c'mon, wake up!"  
  
No reply.  
  
Max pulled herself up into a kneeling position over him and checked his pulse. To her relief it beat steadily beneath the warm flesh of his neck. It was strong and healthy, so why couldn't he hear her? Seizures had never hit her that hard before. There'd been that time with the Red's implant, but Alec hadn't faced anything like that.  
  
'He hasn't faced anything like this at all... ever,' she thought quickly.  
  
"Alec, please," she whispered against his hand, now clutched preciously in her own.  
  
She was scared; frightened that whatever had him in its grip wasn't finished with him yet, afraid that something worse was going to happen and terrified that she'd been allowing herself to get closer to him while still keeping a safe distance from finalising how she really felt. It sickened her more than anything else to think that she could have been wasting the only time they were meant to have together.  
  
Whatever was going on in his body, Max knew the connection between his current state and the fact that as little as twelve hours ago had seen the onset of some of the worst tremors she'd ever seen an X5 suffer before in seizure. He needed help and from someone who understood the situation better than her.  
  
Leaping off the bed suddenly, Max grabbed Alec's cell from the bedside table she'd placed it on the night before and dialed a familiar number. In her haste, it was all she could think of to gain immediate result. The dial tone droned at least twice before the final click resounded in her ears and she heard a familiar voice.  
  
"Logan?"  
  
"Max?" Logan asked, hearing the keen edge of something akin to panic in her tone. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I need your help,"  
  
"Max calm down. Tell me what's wrong," he said a little more forcefully.  
  
"Those sick bastards and their seizures!" she blurted out, anger finally taking hold equally with fear.  
  
"Max, I can't help if you don't tell me..."  
  
"It's Alec,"  
  
Logan was cut off by the mention of the other X5's name. Alec. Why was it that, that name could send pangs of mixed emotion fluttering throughout his entire body? More to the point, Max was with Alec?  
  
"He won't wake up, Logan. I need your help, I don't know what else to do."  
  
Despite how Logan had always been wary of Alec, his memory stained with blurred images of his battle with Max during their first meeting in his home. A meeting in which he lay dying, powerless to help her in any way... He quickly banished the thoughts that flitted through his mind momentarily and focused on what was always important to him. Max needed him.  
  
"I'll call Sam, tell him to be ready for us. Where are you?"  
  
Silence. He obviously couldn't see the distracted looks Max was casting in Alec's direction as she reached out and touched his cheek, still wishing he'd stir against her touch and everything would be okay.  
  
"Max? I said I'll be there in no time, where are you? Have Alec ready to go okay? We'll take him to see Sam and he'll know what to do, you hear me?" Logan said, his words deliberately slow and steady, offering a reassurance he knew he wouldn't be able to offer physically even when he got there.  
  
"Alec's... we'll be ready."  
  
With that the line went dead. Max closed Alec's cell phone over and set it back down on the bedside table. She sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over him again, still trying in vain for anything that'd bring him round. She gently drew one eyelid back, then the other to check for any kind of response, but his eyes were rolled back up into his head as if asleep. She couldn't help him, nothing she knew of could.  
  
'DR Carr, he'll know,' she thought with a little renewed hope and hurriedly went to grab her boots.  
  
Considering the pair had slept in their clothes the night before, Max had an easy task of getting them ready to leave. Slipping Alec's boots on carefully, one by one, she pulled the bottom of each leg of his trousers down over the tops of them, straightening him up a little, not that it mattered much to her how he was dressed. She reached out and laid her hand to rest on his hip as she sat alongside him and watched his content features.  
  
How ironic that getting to touch him the way she'd felt drawn to recently brought her nothing but hurt. There was no pleasure in feeling the solid mass of his body beneath her touch. The warm glow radiating from him only felt cold to her now.  
  
Suddenly she was brought out of her reverie as the loud knock on the door echoed around Alec's apartment. Max slipped off the bed and took long, purpose-driven strides that carried her to the man standing in the doorway on the opposite side of the hardwood door. Opening it quickly she met Logan's concerned gaze and stepped back away from the door and led him into the small bedroom.  
  
Logan followed at a healthy distance and entered the bedroom behind her. When he got there his eyes swept the room quickly. There were pills on the bedside table along with a cell phone, an empty carton of milk lying by the edge of the bed on the floor and then there was the bed, covers mussed up enough to reveal that Alec hadn't been alone in his slumber as long as he'd thought. Still, now wasn't the time for such observations.  
  
"How long has he been like this?" Logan asked as he went to check Alec over.  
  
"Few hours at the most," Max answered, her arms wrapped around her upper body in a hug to offer some sliver of reassurance as she watched Logan check Alec over.  
  
"He had a seizure?" he asked taking his pulse.  
  
"Yeah, but the tryptophan helped. Everything was fine..."  
  
Her memory trailed off to the second their lips had made gentle contact. The kiss was inquisitive and soft, lacking in heat due to circumstance, but not in passion. When their lips finally parted, the pair looked at one another, displaying neither remorse for their actions or guilt for having given in. Without speaking another word, Alec had rolled on to his back and Max had followed keenly, taking up position in the crook of his right arm as he wrapped it around her and closed his eyes.  
  
"...We just fell asleep."  
  
"But, now he won't wake up," Logan finished for her.  
  
Max could only nod and stare forlornly at Alec's peaceful form lying in the bed they had shared happily hours before.  
  
"Go get his keys, lock up behind us."  
  
Max nodded again and disappeared into the living room area which she crossed in an instant to reach the kitchen counter and Alec's keys. When she turned round, she had to back off suddenly as Logan's tall frame passed her quickly, carrying the unconscious Alec out of the apartment and down the corridor towards the stairs. Max locked up and charged after them, keeping her distance for fear of the consequences.  
  
The elevators in Alec's building no longer worked, although it was still one of the nicer ones in the sector, nicer than Max's by far. The stairwell was empty and for that Max was thankful. She couldn't face having to deal with strangers at that moment. All she wanted to do was get Alec some help, get through the next few hours and get back home knowing Alec'd be alright.  
  
Logan and Max let the stairwell in silence, Max overtaking Logan to open the back door to his Aztec and climb inside. Logan sat Alec just inside the open doorway and let Max draw him the rest of the way inside before he closed the door and got into the drivers seat. Max sat turned towards the inside of the car with her back leaning securely against the locked door behind her. Alec's body leaned back against hers, his legs tucked into position as if he were sitting normally, just leaning back against her. His head fell gently to her chest, forehead pressed lightly to her neck as she wrapped her arms around him and held him securely.  
  
As the engine revved up and the car pulled out of the car park quickly, Max wrapped her arms around Alec a little tighter and let her chin rest on top of his head. Closing her eyes, it was all she could do to keep the tears in them from spilling over, but she'd manage to hold it together... for him.  
  
~TBC~ 


	6. Waiting

TITLE: In The Still Of The Night  
  
WRITTEN BY: Drea Jackman  
  
EMAIL: webmaster@the-spacemonkey.net  
  
WEBSITE: http://the-spacemonkey.net/fiction/  
  
RATING: R  
  
SUMMARY: When Alec experiences the violence of seizures for the first time, it's up to Max to provide the strength and support needed to help him get through the night.  
  
DISCLAIMER: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron and Charles Eglee (Cameron Eglee Productions) and Dark Angel itself belongs to FOX...it's just not fair is it? *Sob*  
  
ARCHIVE: If I've said yes before I'll say it again, otherwise email me 'n' lemme know.  
  
FEEDBACK: Don't make me beg, please? ...D'OH!  
  
A/N: I'm sooooo sorry it took so long to update. I've only just found the box that had all my hand written draft chapters for this story so when time permits (Uni's a bitch with end-of-term assignments) I'll get to type them up and post them. Just know that I haven't forgotten about Alec! I still luv the boy to bits...who doesn't?! ;)  
  
In The Still Of The Night  
  
It only took Logan a total of fifteen minutes to make it to Dr Carr's surgery. For Max, it was the longest she'd had to suffer since her recapture at Manticore. Even then, no one she cared about had been in danger. There was that word again - care. She knew she cared about Alec, he was a friend. He had become so gradually, but it felt like he was something that had been missing in her life up until the day he crashed into it in typical 'Alec' style.  
  
'I'm Alec. I'm here. Deal with me,' Max thought and felt the mental smile tug in her inner self a the memory backing up her description. The cell door slid open suddenly and there he stood, only briefly before taking that first step inside...into her life.  
  
Max's thoughts were disturbed and she opened her eyes suddenly to take in her surroundings. Her facial expression tried to let training take over; tried to let her game-face push the fear in her eyes away, but it was a lost battle.  
  
Within minutes Alec was lying flat out on a bed in Dr Carr's examination room and Sam, along with two trusted colleagues, were checking him over.  
  
"He's never had seizures like yours before last night?" Sam asked, systematically shining his penlight into Alec's eyes one by one.  
  
"No, he just collapsed at Crash. By the time we'd got home, he could barely move," Max answered, watching keenly as she hovered near Alec, just far enough away to let them work.  
  
Logan stood on the other side of her, about two feet away and to her rear. Absently his mind pieced together the information she'd been giving them. The fact that he'd been the only one to pick up on Max's apparent Freudian Slip didn't register immediately, but the words themselves had sounded strange. 'We'd got home...' Not 'I'd got him home' or 'We'd went back to Alec's' but 'we'd' collectively gone to a place she felt was as good as home.  
  
"And you gave him tryptophan?"  
  
"Yeah, I had mine there waiting."  
  
Again, Logan picked up on the subtle facts. Not only was Alec's place homely, she stored her pills there now too? Reporter instinct wasn't lost any on Logan Cale, but first and foremost, he was a man. A man with a heart and a man that, despite how annoying he could find Alec, cared about what happened to him, if only for Max's sake.  
  
"Did it have any effect?"  
  
"Yeah," Max said, her voice showing signs of breaking as she remembered the lost feeling of everything being all right. "He just fell asleep."  
  
"And he's been unconscious since then?" he asked looking at her for affirmation.  
  
Max nodded, her eyes filled with sadness and concern as she gazed past the doctor in front of her to the man lying helplessly on the bed behind him.  
  
Dr Carr pursed his lips slightly and exhaled slowly with sympathy. He tried to offer her a reassuring look, but realised her attentions were lost on Alec. Nodding to himself, he returned to work with renewed purpose.  
  
"Okay I want a line in. Set up base-level tryptophan in an IV solution and run it in over the next hour."  
  
His colleague carried out his instructions, hooking Alec's left arm up to the IV set up by his bedside. While she did that, Sam brought over a trolley with a heart monitor on it. The nurse began to carefully cut up the centre of the top Alec was wearing. After a few more cuts, his upper torso lay naked and exposed. Dr Carr fixed small receptor pads onto several locations across his upper chest and sides.  
  
Max felt totally helpless. She could offer nothing else to help solve whatever was wrong with Alec, nor could she cure it with power of will alone. Quietly, she backed up against the faraway wall and wrapped her arms around her upper body more securely. Logan stood by her a while longer.  
  
As the steady, rhythmic beep sounded from the ECG monitor, Max felt the seconds of her life tick by. She watched them work over Alec, monitoring this and testing that, until she felt a hand grip her shoulder lightly.  
  
"Max?"  
  
She didn't answer.  
  
"From what I can tell, the seizures are what's behind whatever's happening to Alec."  
  
"It's their fault," Max said, her tone cold and accusing.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Manticore, they did this to him."  
  
"Well, from whatever started them, the seizures appear to have advanced more rapidly in his body than they do in yours."  
  
"He's never had them before," she replied, finally turning to face him.  
  
"That could be it, but right now all we know is that after he fell asleep, he slipped into some kind of induced coma."  
  
Max looked worried, even more than before if that were at all possible.  
  
"But he'll wake up right? You're giving his body what it needs, he should come out of it eventually..."  
  
"I wish it were that simple," Dr Carr said, cutting her off before her vain search for hope became damning.  
  
"Just," Max paused, not really sure of what she had to say. "Help him, Sam?"  
  
Sam took a hold of her by the shoulders and nudged her till she was looking him in the eye. He leaned down to her eye level and tried to reassure her as best he could.  
  
"Look, I still have some blood work to look at. Maybe that'll help shed some light on this."  
  
Max nodded and looked back to Alec's motionless body, IVs, ECG wires, lines running to and from, in and out of him. Dr Carr looked to Logan, who had risen from the chair he'd been in and came up behind her as close as safety would allow.  
  
"This could take an hour or two. Why don't you two go get something to eat and I should have something by the time you get back."  
  
"Thanks Sam," Logan said and opened the room door leading out into the corridor.  
  
"Max," Sam began again.  
  
This time she looked at him immediately.  
  
"Go with Logan. There's nothing more you can do here. If anything changes, you'll be the first to know."  
  
Max was reluctant at first, but eventually she nodded and backed away. Heading out into the corridor, she heard Logan close the door behind them and she turned to face him.  
  
"Max," he said softly, his tone whisper-soft and gentle as always.  
  
Max turned towards the glass panel in the wall separating the waiting area from the examination room where Alec lay. Her eyes fixed on the calm rise and fall of his chest, then the steady peaks on the monitor screen made with every heartbeat.  
  
"I hate this," she said finally in earnest.  
  
"I know," he replied.  
  
It was all he could think of to say and really all she needed to hear.  
  
Knowing that leaving the room was out of the question completely, Logan took a seat across from her on the other side of the small waiting room and watched her, his silent gaze never wavering as Max continued her vigil over the X5 in the next room - 494, Alec...her friend.  
  
[ t b c ] 


End file.
